To Puerto Rico Questions

Getting to Puerto Rico: Things Nobody Tells You

I deal with people constantly asking about travel to Puerto Rico. Most of the questions are the same ones recycled on forums. I figured I would just write down what actually matters instead of answering the same thing for the fifth time this week. Puerto Rico is a US territory. That single fact answers about seventy percent of the questions people have. You do not need a passport for domestic flights from the mainland. You do not need a visa. You walk through TSA at a mainland airport and land in San Juan with the same documentation you would use for Florida. The customs process is basically a formality unless you are coming from the Dominican Republic or another Caribbean island. The one edge case that trips people up: if you connect through another country before landing in Puerto Rico, you clear US customs at your first port of entry. That means if you fly from Europe through Santo Domingo, you go through customs in the Dominican Republic. Arriving directly from the mainland, you do not clear customs at all.

I learned this the hard way once. Someone told me to book a layover in Santo Domingo to save money on a flight from New York. I ended up spending four hours in immigration there because my visa waiver documentation was incomplete. Lost a whole day. Just fly direct.

Power and Electronics

The voltage is 110 to 120 volts at sixty hertz. Same as the mainland. Most modern phone chargers and laptop bricks handle this without any issue. The outlet types are the standard American flat-pin configuration. If your devices already have US-style plugs, you do not need an adapter. The real problem is not voltage or plugs. It is reliability. Power outages happen frequently during hurricane season and sometimes outside of it too. The grid has been under stress for years. If you are staying at a hotel or Airbnb, check whether the place has a generator or inverter setup. I spent three nights at a rental in Rincon during July when the power went out twice. No air conditioning, no fan, and the Wi-Fi was down with it. The host said the backup battery only ran the refrigerator and a couple of lights. Bring a portable power bank. A large one. Twenty thousand milliamp hours minimum if you plan to be anywhere outside San Juan during summer.

Money and Payments

They use the US dollar. No currency exchange. Credit cards are widely accepted in San Juan and the tourist areas. Smaller towns, street vendors, and some rural restaurants operate cash-only. I carry about eighty dollars in cash when I go. Most places will not take a fifty-dollar bill for a five-dollar coffee. Break your bills into twenties and ones before you arrive. ATMs exist but they charge fees. The bank-owned ones in malls and grocery stores are usually the least predatory. Independent ATMs on the street can charge five or six dollars per transaction. A few places also add a surcharge on top of that. Budget for that when you plan your cash needs.

Driving and Roads

You need a valid US driver's license. No international permit required. Driving is on the right side of the road. Speed limits are posted in miles per hour. An international driving permit is pointless here because Puerto Rico is not a separate jurisdiction. The roads outside the metro area are another story. Highways are generally fine. Secondary roads can have potholes, missing signs, and very narrow sections. I drove from San Juan to Jayuya once and had to yield to a tractor on a road that was barely wide enough for one car. GPS signals drop in the mountainous regions. Download offline maps before you go. Google Maps works well in the city but stops updating reliably once you enter the central mountains. Rental car companies in San Juan are expensive during peak season. January through April and December are the worst. I have seen a compact car go for over ninety dollars a day in March. Booking two weeks out from arrival instead of two days out usually drops the price by a third. Rent from the airport if you can. The off-site shuttle places have cheaper rates but you are looking at an extra thirty minutes each way.

Water Safety

The water from the taps in San Juan is treated and meets federal standards. The government says it is safe. People have drank it without issues for decades. But the infrastructure that delivers it is old. Lead pipes and aging treatment facilities mean that even where the water leaves the plant cleanly, it can pick up contaminants along the way. My personal rule is simple. I drink bottled water. I brush my teeth with bottled water too. I have never gotten sick from tap water in Puerto Rico but I also know people who have. It is not worth the risk for a short trip. Buy a case of water when you check into your accommodation. It is cheap there and saves you from buying individual bottles at markup prices at the hotel minibar or convenience stores.

Hurricane Season Timing

Official season runs June first through November thirtieth. The peak activity months are August and September. That is when most storms form and when the likelihood of disruption is highest. June and early July tend to be quieter. October and November see a secondary uptick. If you are flexible with your dates, late May or early December gives you decent weather with lower storm risk. Flight and hotel prices drop too. The downside is that some beach towns slow down significantly outside the main season. Restaurants close earlier. Boat tours become less frequent. It is not a dealbreaker but it changes the experience.

Language

English is spoken everywhere in the tourist areas. Spanish is the dominant language in daily life. If you only speak English, you will get by in San Juan, Caguas, and Ponce without difficulty. Once you go to smaller municipalities, Spanish becomes nearly universal. A few phrases go a long way. "Buenos días" and "gracias" will change how people treat you more than anything else. I have noticed that people who make an effort with basic Spanish get noticeably better service. Not always, but often enough that it is worth learning five or six words before you go.

Internet and Connectivity

Cell coverage is decent in urban areas. All major US carriers work here. Verizon and AT&T have the most reliable coverage in rural regions. T-Mobile can be spotty outside the main towns. If you are planning to hike or explore the El Yunque area, expect dead zones. Download any maps or guides you need before you head out. Wi-Fi at hotels and Airbnbs varies wildly. Some places market high-speed internet and deliver dial-up speeds during peak hours. Read recent reviews specifically mentioning internet quality. A place might have great photos and a perfect location but unusable Wi-Fi if the building's infrastructure is overloaded.

Healthcare

Medical facilities in San Juan are comparable to mainland US standards. Hospital quality is good. Outside the capital, options are limited. If you have a chronic condition or need regular medication, bring an adequate supply plus a buffer. Pharmacies are easy to find in cities but specialized medications might not be available in smaller towns. I once needed a specific allergy medication in a town near Utuado and the closest pharmacy with it was in San Juan, over an hour away. Travel insurance is worth considering. Not because healthcare is expensive — US insurance networks generally cover Puerto Rico — but because trip interruption and cancellation protection can save you money if a storm hits while you are there. I have watched people lose hundreds of dollars on non-refundable bookings when hurricanes forced early departures.

What to Pack Beyond the Obvious

Repetition solvent. Insect repellent with DEET. A reusable water bottle. A basic first aid kit with bandaids, antiseptic, and pain relievers. Sunscreen is available everywhere but it is significantly cheaper at local supermarkets than at tourist shops. A portable fan is almost useless to mention but I cannot count the number of people who showed up in July complaining about humidity. Light, breathable clothing. Long sleeves and pants for evening mosquito exposure in rural areas. And a physical copy of your reservation details. Not just on your phone. Power outages happen. Phones die. Having paper backups of hotel confirmations and rental agreements is genuinely useful when technology fails you. The main airport is Luis Muñoz Marín International in San Juan. There is also Rafael Hernández in the west and Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci in Old San Juan for regional flights. FLI is basically a commuter airport. Don't expect much beyond domestic connections.

If you are coming from the US mainland, the flight time from Miami is about three hours. From New York it is closer to three and a half. Time zone is Atlantic Standard Time year-round. They do not observe daylight saving time, which means for part of the year they are an hour ahead of Eastern Time and an hour behind Central Time.